Gintaras Visockas. Slaptai.lt foto

By Gintaras Visockas

On 20 October I attended a remotely organized conference: ‘South Caucasus: political – legal aspects after the 2020 autumn war’. This conference, organized by Azerbaijan, was led by Ambassador, professor Namik Aliyev. Political scientists, scientists, journalists from Georgia, Israel, Poland, Moldova, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and author of these lines spoke at the conference. The recording of this conference is available at day.az .

At the conference I criticized Lithuania’s position to everywhere and in all ways indulge Armenia, who for 30 years has occupied Azeri territories (more arguments are available in by collections of articles ‘Tragedy of the Black Garden’ and ‘Case of Black Garden’, published in 2016 and 2021).

Then I received requests from Azerbaijan’s journalists, for example, Jamila Chebotareva, to answer several questions. These are my answers to Azerbaijani journalist Jamila Chebotareva. On 25 October I sent them to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis. On 27 October I received a response from Lithuanian MFA. Here are those answers. They completely contradict my remarks in the article ‘Lithuania’s policy in South Caucasus – disgustingly biased’.

Respectfully
Gintaras Visockas

In which spheres Lithuania and Azerbaijan can successfully cooperate?

We are successfully developing bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan in many fields. In July 2020, at the sixth sitting of Lithuanian-Azerbaijani inter-governmental bilateral cooperation commission (TVK) the guidelines were drawn for further cooperation in fields of trade, investment, innovation, engineering industry, transport, energy, agriculture and environment protection. Lithuania and Azerbaijan actively cooperate in implementing EU Twinning projects, we already have 12 of them. We are happy about Azeri youth choosing studies in Lithuania. When the pandemic situation allows travelling, we will receive Azeri tourists in Lithuania. Azerbaijan participates in the Eastern Partnership program, further strengthening of ties between Azerbaijan and EU opens opportunities to even closer bilateral cooperation.

How did Lithuania react to the news that in autumn 2020 in 44 days Azerbaijan in a military way reclaimed its lands?

Decades long conflict and the 2020 war have demanded many victims, for which we are sorry, but it has not brought sustainable peace to the region. We see that many unsolved challenges remain. To solve them it is important to restore trust and dialogue. We think that sustainable political solution of the conflict should be achieved with mediation of OSCE Minsk group.

Are Lithuanian informed enough about Karabakh conflict?

It is a long lasting conflict, widely reflected both in Lithuanian and foreign media. Interested persons will really find a lot of information, analyses and other materials about these tragic events.

Does Lithuania respect territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, that is, does Lithuania agree that Karabakh is a territory of Azerbaijan, not Armenia?

The Republic of Lithuania and the European Union recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, they do not recognize Nagorno Karabakh and support a sustainable solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in a way of negotiations, supported by the main principles, set in the United Nations Charter and Helsinki Final Act and with mediation of OSCE Minsk group.

Lithuanian MFA. Slaptai.lt foto

Was it possible to regulate Karabakh conflict in a peaceful way?

As mentioned before, we unambiguously support solving conflicts in negotiations, following principles of international law.

Is it possible that Azeri and Armenian nations would live as friends?

We strongly believe that Azeri and Armenian nations will manage to reconcile and create the future of their people in peace. Since the Second World War the history of Europe provides many examples that it is possible to successfully overcome enmity and join forces for future.

Why, through Eastern Partnership program, Lithuania is drawing Armenia to Europe, while Armenia has allowed a Russian military base, tends to occupy foreign territories, has not condemned terrorist organizations ASALA, Gncak and Dasnakcutiun?

The content and extent of Armenia’s participation in Eastern Partnership program is a sovereign decision of this country. We strongly believe that cooperation of South Caucasian countries with EU opens great opportunities to the region, because EU itself firstly is a project of peace and cohabitation. Regional cooperation is the driving force of economic development and peaceful cohabitation of people.

Did Lithuania act correctly when in 2005 Seimas adopted a resolution on Armenian genocide in 1915? Neither then, when resolution was adopted, nor now, none of Lithuanian historians, political scientists, journalists have studied materials in Turkish, Azeri or Armenian (who does not allow foreigners in) archives.

Having itself experienced years of occupation in 1940-1991, tragic for the state and people, Lithuania understands tragedies that other nations have endured. Seimas resolutions on tragic moments of world history strengthen the aim of international community to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Can Lithuania be called a democratic country, if Lithuanian Academy of Sciences allows Armenian Ambassador and Armenian historians, politicians to hold a discussion on tragic events of 1915, but does not allow the same to Turkish Ambassador and Turkish historians?

The laws of the Republic of Lithuania provide academic freedom to the members of the academic community, the main element of which is the freedom of mind and expression, guaranteed by the Constitution. Lithuanian Academy of Sciences is an independent institution and it could best comment motives of its decisions.

What did Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian recently come to Lithuania for? This politician clearly did not agree to peacefully, in a friendly manner return Karabakh territories to Azerbaijan. In the years of his rule, Armenia shelled Azeri cities of Ganja, Barda, Tartar, which have nothing to do with Karabakh. Tens of civilians were killed, tens of houses destroyed. Has Lithuania expressed condolences to Azerbaijan for these victims, has she condemned such attacks by Yerevan?

This year Lithuania and Armenia mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The visit of the Prime Minister Pashinian of the Republic of Armenia was an important opportunity to evaluate what has been achieved in thirty years in the fields of bilateral relations and draw further prospects of bilateral relations between Lithuania and Armenia, discuss cooperation between EU and Armenia, preparation for 15 December 2021 Eastern Partnership summit.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis. URM nuotr.

The war of Nagorno Karabakh has caused many painful deaths, we are sorry for the losses, every broken life is invaluable. Lithuania and EU have multiple times expressed sincere sympathies both publicly and in meetings with highest leaders.

Why Lithuania, a democratic country, is interested in preserving Armenian heritage in Karabakh and is not interested in what Armenian separatists did to monuments of Azeri culture, history and religion in Karabakh, during their rule?

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are important partners to Lithuania, we are interested in ensuring peace and stability in the region.

In the field of preserving heritage abroad, we prioritize such heritage objects that are important to Lithuanian history and culture, not distinguishing any country.

Source of information – Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department of Communication and cultural diplomacy)

2021.10.28; 04:39

Gintaras Visockas. Slaptai.lt foto

By Gintaras Visockas

Every year, on the eve of 24 April, disputes start how the West should commemorate the tragic events of 1915, when many Armenian people died in then Ottoman Empire.

It was very curious to hear, what the new US President Joe Biden would do. Biden’s predecessor republican Donald Trump avoided word ‘genocide’ in his statements on 1915 events. Barack Obama, in whose administration Biden was a Vice President, also did not use this definition.

Unfortunately, US President Biden yesterday, according to Armenian press, officially called the wars of 1915 as ‘genocide’. This statement is not binding, it is just a declaration. And it is a strange step by the 46th US President.

History is not politics. It is impossible to understand historical events by throwing out political statements. It is stupid and primitive to search who was right then, by voting in the Congress, the Senate or the White House. There is only one way to learn history – carefully study it in archives. Today’s situation is this: US congressmen and senators really do not know, what, how and why happened in 1915 between Turks and Armenians in the lands of the Ottoman Empire. Official Yerevan is to be blamed the most for the fact that the world still does not know the real truth about 1915. Yes, Armenia, unlike Turkey, still keeps its archives of this painful topic classified. Armenia did not respond to Turkey’s urges to all interested countries to unlock their archives, carefully review them and then sit at a round table and discuss all nuances and details. So, it will only be possible to say who shot, killed, starved when US historians will have a possibility to review Armenian archives (Turkish archives, as I have told, are open).

So, Biden’s hurry to make categorical conclusions without knowing the Armenian archives is a fateful mistake. Biden’s hurry to indulge Yerevan shows not the 46th US President’s morals, sensitivity, but his weakness and primitivity by succumbing to large lobbying influences. There are many Armenian lobby organizations in Washington, and he shamefully succumbed to them. If Biden cared about truth and justice, one question would have been enough for him: does America know what secrets Armenia hides in its archives? Hearing the answer about locked doors of Armenian archives, the principled President must have responded: until Yerevan opens its old manuscripts, there will not be an official statement by Washington.

Bruce Fein

Finally, before making strong statements, Biden should have asked what former law advisor of US President Ronald Reagan, Bruce Fein thought about this. This advisor of President Reagan has many times publicly stated that the White House has tried to carefully analyze the issue of ‘Armenian genocide’ using available information. This is his conclusion, which today is reminded by a publication Turkiye and Caucasus Online: ‘If the archives are opened, Armenians will have to apologize for misleading the world’.

In my opinion, Armenian researcher, historian, author of the book ‘Israel Ori. Pandora’s chest’ Philip Ekozians has the most sober view of the Armenian tragedy of 1915. Here is his comment, which he gave to slaptai.lt on January 20th, 2020:

The fight for recognition of ‘genocide’ is not a fight for the victory of justice. It is a fight to change one definition to another: calling the tragedy of all nations of the Ottoman Empire as genocide of one Armenian nation. It is clear to a smart person, that in such conditions, when the Ottoman Empire was fighting on several fronts, when there were several outbreaks of civic confrontation inside the country, which rose because of both religious and national reasons, it was very difficult to record this sad statistics, which today is manipulated by ‘victims of genocide’ (saying ‘victims of genocide’ I mean, of course, not those who were killed, God rest their souls, but those who today are trying to get financial and moral ‘royalties’ for their deaths). It is obvious, that today it is impossible to clearly uncover, what exactly happened in every city, every village, every part of the front. Does any one of us understand: who is killing whom and why in Iraq and Libya? Today we are using satellite connections, internet, media, video records, we have thousands of professional journalists working in hot spots. And we still cannot doubtlessly answer these questions. What to say about a hundred years old events!’.

Philip Ekozians

Balanced opinion of official Ankara is also worth attention: ‘Turkish Government recognizes the fact of the mass killing of Armenians, but stands against the use of term ‘genocide’ and states that the number of victims, claimed by Armenia, is too high. According to Ankara, Armenian deaths were not a result of a purposeful government policy, but the outcome of the civil war in the Ottoman Empire, which claimed Turks as victims as well’.

Unfortunately, official Washington spat at all arguments of Armenia’s opponents. And at the same time opened the famous Pandora’s chest. What do I mean? They not only drove away their NATO ally Turkey, but also set against themselves millions of Muslims across the world, also gave a right to their big and small critics to constantly ask: how should destruction of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki be called, how should we call wars in Vietnam, Iraq or Serbia’s bombings? Even attacks against red-skinned Americans could be remembered.

Joe Biden. EPA – ELTA foto

Another question by America’s opponents is also possible: is it worth to blindly believe every word of Washington, if the previous US President guaranteed territorial integrity to Ukraine with his signature in exchange for ‘giving up nuclear bombs’ and later US President forgot this public and solemn obligation?

2021.04.26; 09:00

Slaptai.lt skelbia Eurazijos studijų centro vyresniojo analitiko, mokslų daktaro Turgut Kerem Tuncel pranešimą dėl tragiškų 1915-ųjų įvykių tuometinėje Osmanų imperijoje. Mokslininkas pateikia Turkijos poziciją.

Tai – 1-oji pranešimo, perskaityto 2019 metų gruodžio 13-ąją Vilniuje, dalis. Pranešimas skaitytas anglų kalba. Jo lietuviškąją versiją rasite čia: https://slaptai.lt/turkiskoji-versija-zvilgsnis-i-1915-uju-tragedija-tuometineje-osmanu-imperijoje/

2019.12.28; 06:00